George R. Obermeier

Private First Class

B Company
1st Battalion
5th Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Division

Entered the Service from: New Jersey
Born: March 26, 1947
Died: April 24, 1967
Buried at: Section 22, Lot 0690
                 Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum
                 Saint Louis, Missouri

Awards: Purple Heart

Panel 18E, Line 81
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Private First Class George Richard “Rick” Obermeier was born on March 26, 1947 to George C. Obermeier and his wife, the former Mary Patricia “Pat” Stephens. Besides George the family included sisters Mary, Karen, Denise and Leslie, as well as brothers Gregory, Gary, and Glennon. George Richard Obermeier’s home of record is Cherry Hill, NJ, but it appears that his family was from St. Louis, Missouri. His father had been drafted as a catcher by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1940, appeared in 25 games with the Johnson City Cardinals in the class D Appalachian League that year, was an Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the Greater St. Louis Association of Umpires.

George Richard Obermeier served in the US Army and attained the rank of Private First Class. He arrived in Vietnam on March 24, 1967. Private First Class Obermeier was killed in action on April 24, 1967. He was returned to the United States and buried in St. Louis, Missouri.

He is memorialized on Panel 18E, Line 81 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Richard and I were Squad Leaders in the same platoon in AIT at Fort Polk Louisiana. We were both planning to go to OCS, and after graduation from AIT were awaiting acceptance. We had a great time pushing troops, while awaiting our future. Richards’ came first when he was turned down from his choice for OCS — seems that they were only accepting applicants for the combat arms (Infantry, Artillery, Armor) at the time. Richard had applied for Chemical OCS I believe. I remember the tears in his eyes as we said goodbye in the company area. My ego would like to believe that it was because he was leaving a friend but it was because he knew that he was headed for Vietnam — a place that very few, including myself, wanted to go to and who would try or apply to or for anything to keep from going to. I remember the day that he left when he and a Puerto Rican friend (cannot remember his name) stood with me in the company area. They had their orders for VN and Rick said to me ‘Don’t worry Danny, you will not have to come over because we are going to win the war before that.’ I can still see them to this day, standing there trying to be so stoic and brave yet trembling inside from the fear of what was coming. I was accepted to Infantry OCS and received word later from the Company Mail Clerk (Jackson) that Rick had only been in country a month when he was killed by stepping on a land mine. He died in Tay Ninh Province in 1967 where I served in 1970. I did not know this until I read his record on the VVM website. I probably walked some of the same ground that he did. I always meant to go to Cherry Hill, NJ and see his family. I never made it! Not a day goes by that I do not think of you Rick and it has been 42 years. If any of your family or friends ever read this and want to contact me, please do so. Goodbye my FRIEND. Safe Journey!

Daniel Lloyd
Prescott, AZ
Friend/AIT Buddies, Fort Polk Louisiana 1966–67
March 23, 2009